The role of systems research in grazing management: applications to sustainable cattle production in Latin America

Advances in pasture science over the past 25 years have considerably widened the scope for improvement in ruminant livestock production from grazing systems. The introduction of improved pastures and legumes to increase output per animal and/or per hectare is a classic example of such advances. To ensure the long-term success of these technologies, management of the grazing system has to be improved, and must deal with strategies integrating multiple choices over an extended planning horizon. For example, the control of stocking rates, paddock rotation lengths and fertilizer practices is important to maintain pastures in the long run. However, sustainable grazing cannot be achieved if management strategies like these are taken without understanding the whole farming system and the interactions between its components. This paper describes current efforts and the role of decision-support systems created by linking livestock information systems and whole-farm models to support management decisions in cattle farms of Latin America.